Articles: Puppies

Do you care to have your puppy take a nap away from the action or put her in

a safe place or start her to become housebroken quickly? The best thing to

do is to start your puppy on crate training. The following ways will be very

helpful tips to get started right away.

1. Make it so the puppy sees the crate in a positive light. Leave the door

open so you can explore the crate together in a non-threatening way. Allow

her to walk in and out of it; don't shut the door on her yet.

2. Put her things in the crate. You want her to not only be comfortable when

she's in it, but you want it to have familiar smells. Her mat or blanket and

maybe her favorite toy are options.

3. Put the crate where she can still be a part of your life. For example, put

it in the room where you watch TV and not outside around the back corner of

the house. She wants to see and monitor the action.

4. Start putting her in it for very short periods of time. If you say

"kennel", walk over to the crate, throw a treat in it, and matter-of-factly

shut the door when she goes in, she'll be okay with it for a short while. The

best time to start this is right after a play session when she's tired. Do

not leave her in there for very long. You'll want to gradually build up to

longer and longer sessions. Eventually when she hears the word "kennel", she

will go inside the crate and wait for her treat.

5. Never give her attention if she is whining to be let out. If she whines

and you let her out, she's learned this is the way to have you open the door

and every time you do that, you reinforce this behavior.

6. Remember the crate is not a substitution for your attention. If you're

home and able to watch your pup, then don't put her in the crate. Better yet,

play with her often and encourage her to use the crate when she wants to

rest.

7. Puppies do not like to "go" where they live, so it usually doesn't take

too long for them to learn to hold it while they're in the crate. This means

you must be diligent in letting your dog out often to relieve herself.

Crate training your puppy results in a puppy who is housebroken fairly

quickly, has a safe place to stay when you're not around, and has her own

haven.